Creating the Pink and Silver Regency Gown

I made my gown in time for the ball and had a wonderful time wearing it!

There are some major differences between this gown and the gowns I have made in the past.  I decided that I wanted to make a front closure with a solid back.  In order to do this without purchasing a new pattern, I made a muslin from my old Simplicity pattern.  I then attached the two pieces in the back and used them to cut out a new single piece of muslin.

Then I took my piece for the front and cut it where I felt I would like the pink overlay to fall.  This gave me the armpit shape and a guess of how large I would like the panel to be.

I sewed them all together to see if they'd work.  For the center piece I used one large rectangle of fabric.  I also sewed some biased tape to the inside that I then tied around my rib-cage in order to keep the panel pulled tight.

I already love the way the back looks.  I want to make some cotton gowns with a solid back/front closure.

I then used my muslin pieces to cut the gown out of silk and line it with the muslin.  Here are some photos of it in progress, you can tell I have a lot of adjusting to do!

Do you think it needs two sleeves?  One is fun!

Sadly it became crunch time and I was too busy to think about stopping to take pictures.  Here is the end result:

You might have noticed Ben did a little wardrobe change.  He went from civilian to being in the 95th Rifles.

There are still several things I'd like to improve with this gown, but overall I am very happy with the way it came out!